Mason City weather in October

In October, Mason City sees average daytime highs of 59°F and overnight lows near 40°F, with 2.7 in of precipitation across 8.2 wet days and about 10.8 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 65°F in the first days to 52°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 30 min at the start of October to 10 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Mason City's 4th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mason City's year-round climate.

Daytime high
59°
6th warmest
Overnight low
40°
7th coldest
Precipitation
2.7 in
8.2 wet days
Daylight
10 h 48 min
6:34 AM – 5:22 PM
Cloud cover
56%
4th clearest
Wind
10 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
3.01 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.8
out of 10

Mason City is city and the county seat of Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, United States.

Density
376/km²
people per km²

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 65°F in the first days to 52°F by the end.

A typical October day in Mason City reaches about 59°F in the afternoon and slips back to 40°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 45°F and 73°F. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 13°F cooler than September and about 16°F warmer than November.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16646
26646
36545
46545
56444
66444
76344
86343
96243
106242
116142
126141
136041
146041
155940
165940
175840
185839
195739
205738
215638
225638
235537
245537
255437
265436
275336
285335
295235
305234
315134

How October really feels in Mason City

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 12 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
12
wind chill below the day's low

The story in October is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Mason City weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan24° / 1.16.15.79.20.0
Feb28° / 13°1.25.95.310.20.0
Mar42° / 25°2.48.53.911.60.7
Apr57° / 37°4.011.51.913.13.8
May69° / 49°5.113.60.114.45.8
Jun78° / 60°5.412.6015.16.3
Jul80° / 63°4.09.7014.96.7
Aug78° / 60°4.010.2013.86.9
Sep72° / 52°3.59.3012.36.9
Oct59° / 40°2.78.20.510.84.8
Nov43° / 27°1.96.52.89.50.9
Dec30° / 15°1.56.75.98.90.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 51%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15743
25842
35842
45743
55644
65644
75545
85446
95347
105347
115248
125248
135149
145149
155050
164951
174852
184852
194753
204654
214654
224654
234456
244456
254456
264456
274357
284357
294456
304456
314357

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Mason City gets around 2.7 in of rain and snow over 8.2 wet days in October. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 26% and peaks near 29% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1290
2290
3280
4280
5281
6281
7281
8281
9281
10271
11271
12261
13261
14261
15261
16251
17262
18262
19262
20252
21252
22252
23252
24252
25242
26243
27243
28243
29243
30234
31224

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of October feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, October lands in the dry band about 94% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1841042
285942
387931
488831
589731
689731
791621
891621
992521
1092521
1193421
1293421
1394411
1494411
1595410
1696310
1796310
1896310
1996310
2096310
2196310
2297300
2397300
2497300
2597300
2698200
2798200
2898200
2998200
3098200
3199100

Wind in October

Winds average 10 mph in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 10 mph on the calmest days to 10 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
110light breeze
210light breeze
310light breeze
410light breeze
510light breeze
610light breeze
710light breeze
810light breeze
910light breeze
1010light breeze
1110light breeze
1210light breeze
1310light breeze
1410light breeze
1510light breeze
1610light breeze
1710light breeze
1810light breeze
1910light breeze
2010light breeze
2110light breeze
2210light breeze
2310light breeze
2410light breeze
2510light breeze
2610light breeze
2710light breeze
2810light breeze
2910light breeze
3010light breeze
3110light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min at the start of October to 10 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 84 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:16 AM to 6:53 AM, and sunset from 5:48 PM to 5:00 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.56:165:48
211.56:175:46
311.46:185:44
411.46:195:42
511.36:215:41
611.36:225:39
711.26:235:37
811.26:245:35
911.16:255:34
1011.16:275:32
1111.06:285:30
1211.06:295:28
1310.96:305:27
1410.96:315:25
1510.86:335:23
1610.86:345:22
1710.76:355:20
1810.76:365:18
1910.76:385:17
2010.66:395:15
2110.66:405:14
2210.56:425:12
2310.56:435:11
2410.46:445:09
2510.46:455:08
2610.36:475:06
2710.36:485:05
2810.26:495:04
2910.26:515:02
3010.26:525:01
3110.16:535:00

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 3.01 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.64 kWh/m² to a high of 6.38 kWh/m² in July across the year — October's 3.01 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.7Moderate
23.7Moderate
33.6Moderate
43.6Moderate
53.5Moderate
63.5Moderate
73.5Moderate
83.4Moderate
93.4Moderate
103.3Moderate
113.3Moderate
123.2Moderate
133.2Moderate
143.1Moderate
153.1Moderate
163.0Moderate
173.0Moderate
182.9Moderate
192.9Moderate
202.8Moderate
212.8Moderate
222.8Moderate
232.7Moderate
242.7Moderate
252.6Moderate
262.6Moderate
272.6Moderate
282.5Moderate
292.5Moderate
302.5Moderate
312.5Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Mason City

In seasonPeak

In October, Mason City sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Mason City's rainy season runs April–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is October a good time to visit Mason City?

Our two travel scores rate October for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

4.8
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
0.8
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Mason City for sightseeing.

What to pack for Mason City in October

From October's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In October, Mason City sees daytime highs around 59°F and nights near 40°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Mason City in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Mason City peaks around June 16 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 16UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul7Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low
Location & terrain

Where is Mason City?

Mason City sits at 43.2°N, 93.2°W, 1,129 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Albert Lea, 35 mi away.

Topography around Mason City

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Mason City.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Mason City has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 135 ft around an average of 1,129 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 285 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 577 ft.

The land around Mason City is covered by trees (38%) and artificial surfaces (29%) within 2 miles, cropland (77%) within 10 miles, and cropland (89%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
135 ft
10 miles
285 ft
50 miles
577 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
October weather nearby: Albert Lea 35 mi · Austin 37 mi · Cedar Falls 58 mi · Waterloo 63 mi · Owatonna 64 mi · Fort Dodge 66 mi · Rochester 70 mi · Marshalltown 78 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Mason City (43.1536°, -93.201°, elevation 1,129 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).